Main menu

The Secret to the Perfect Smoothie? 650 Watts

Despite my best attempts to eat vegetables, it’s still easier for me to drink them in smoothies. And after three years of dealing with chunks of ice in the bottom of my smoothies, I recently decided to upgrade my blender to one that processes ice.

If you’re flush with funds, buying a blender isn’t hard at all; there are a lot of powerful blenders out there that promise icy smoothies. Being a budget shopper, however, I was a little concerned about finding something that worked well for my under $100 (and the more under, the better) price range.

I did a lot of research via Google, and somewhere, I saw a great tip: to best process ice, buy a blender with at a motor of at least 650 watts.

Armed with this information, I found a Black and Decker BL2500S 12-speed blender, complete with a 700 watt motor blender, for $39.99. I read the box. I checked it out. I compared it to the pricier, sexier models. And reluctantly, I purchased it. I really doubted this blender would work. I’ve heard so much about Breville and Vitamix that I couldn’t imagine a plain Jane blender doing the job.

Imagine my surprise when I put my $39.99 blender to the test, and it worked like a champ! My post-workout smoothies are now like milk shakes. They’re more filling, colder and don’t have ice chunks in the bottom. And even better, I didn’t have to spend a fortune.

In closing, I’ll share my favorite smoothie, one I call the ChocoNanaSpin.

ChocoNanaSpinServes Two

Ingredients

2.5 cups fresh spinach

1 medium banana

3/4 cup milk (skim, light almond or light soy – your choice)

1 -2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Six to eight ice cubes

Put all ingredients except ice into blender and blend. Add ice and blend until smooth.